Design Trends for Wedding Rings – Then and Now!

“A wedding ring is symbolic of the promise made on your wedding day. We never make promises for things that are going to be easy, but for things we know will require courage”.

This beautiful quote beautifully explains the significance of wedding rings in our lives. The spherical band gracing your finger on the wedding day works as a humble representation of the never ending circle of love, compassion and even the hitches that come along. Nevertheless, its beauty celebrates the zeal of welcoming a new life with a special someone.

Significance of A Band – Decoding the Basics

Ring can be perceived as something with no specific beginning or an end, which rightly makes it an emblem of eternity. The circular shape of the band echoes the belief that what you give will come back again, making it a beautiful expression of love in marriage. As precious metals are used in the making of bands, the fact that they have been purified by heat of many fires establishes the ability of marriages to stand the test of time.

Even the hole at the center of the band holds a special relevance. It is regarded as a space that works as a gateway leading to known and unknown events. It wouldn’t be wrong if we say that the conventional design of a wedding band describes the essence of marriage in its own sweet way.

A lot has been written and said about a woman’s enthusiasm and particularity when looking for a wedding ring. But, nowadays men too share the same eagerness when talking about wedding festivities. They desire to own nothing but the best when it comes to choosing their symbol of love – the wedding ring. With the growing popularity of wedding rings among men, numerous design options, style diversities and trends have emerged to cater to these demands. But do you know how it all started?

History of Wedding Rings

In present day world, a wedding ring is touted as a billion-dollar token of love that celebrates eternity of marriage and it may even cost millions in the rake of exclusivity. But, its origin can be traced back to 4800 years in ancient Egypt. If historians are to be believed, the culture of gifting wedding rings extended to many ancient civilizations, though their form and presentation may have been different in every culture.

Though most cultures echoed the same sentiment of eternal love when talking about the symbolism of wedding rings, some differed in this approach. Romans treated bands as a symbol of ownership and claimed a woman by gifting a ring. Romans called the wedding ring, a “betrothal ring”, which meant exchange of the women from her family to her husband. In Christianity, the tradition of wedding rings dates back to the year, 860.

While unravelling the origins of wedding rings, one fact that will perturb you is that these rings were dominantly worn by women! So how did this trend extend to men?

Wedding Bands – How Did Men Adopt This Practice?

Till early 20^th century women alone wore wedding rings. This does not mean that men did not wear rings at all. In 1600 B.C, wealthy Egyptians wore signet rings to showcase their status and power, while the ones belonging to lower castes wore rings made of cheaper metals or materials. During 753B.C, Romans wore gold and silver bands. Distinguished soldiers were also awarded with gold rings. In 300 A.D, many European countries borrowed the trend of gifting wedding rings from the Romans. However, the tradition of wearing wedding rings was still limited to women.

After 610 A.D, some parts of the world started bequeathing this tradition to men too. Pope Boniface IV urged men to wear rings as a token of their betrothal to the church. But by 796 A.D, Vikings started exchanging rings between men and women on the hilts of their swords. This tradition was limited to some parts of the world and it extended to other countries during the world war. During 1941, men started wearing wedding rings to remember their loved ones as they granted them a gleam of happiness even during tough times. Even after the war ended in 1945 the practice of wearing wedding rings was continued and was adopted worldwide. This beautiful legacy continues to bring a smile on people’s face till date!

Important Things to Consider in Men’s Wedding Bands

While selecting wedding rings for men, you need to take care of multiple things that can distinguish your ring from the other options. The first and the foremost thing while looking for a band is the type of metal. Without a doubt, metal is the soul of a band and choosing it in a haste may invite regret later. Starting from the conventional gold band to the current favorite, platinum, there are a number of metal options including titanium, tungsten, sterling silver and many others that are popular these days. The metal color too holds ample relevance. Earlier, yellow or gold were the only color options available. But with the expanding horizon of men’s fashion accessories, color diversity in form of rose, black, and cobalt has also emerged.

The finish of the metal is also crucial as you have the option to choose either a smooth finish or textured variations resulting from hammered or roughened detailing to grant your ring a distinctive appearance. The fourth thing that needs to be considered is the width of the wedding ring. Men with big and prominent fingers should opt for a broad band, while men with thin fingers generally opt for sleek bands. The width of the band varies between five to eight millimeters, where a width of four to five millimeter is considered as the popular standard.

The size of the band is equally important as uncomfortable rings can be troublesome in the long run. Sizing is crucial especially in case of tungsten and titanium bands as they cannot be altered later. It is best to opt for a ring that can slide on smoothly, but demands a few seconds when taking it off. A gap between the ring and your finger is advisable as it grants the necessary breathing space. The last factor that should not be missed out while selecting a wedding ring is its maintenance. Here, the use of stones & softer metals may demand a little care and repeated finishing as they are not suitable for harsh usage. So, the nature of your job and physical activities need to be kept in mind if you do not want to get into the trouble of frequent maintenance. For instance, titanium bands can be worn for years together without much maintenance hassles.

Design Diversity of Men’s Wedding Rings – Customization The Latest Fad

A band for men should be carefully selected as it is probably the one and at times the only accessory that he will be wearing for the rest of his life. When thinking about designs of bands, selecting the metal is the first thing that comes to mind. There are a host of metal options ranging from platinum to gold, sterling silver, cobalt, tungsten, titanium and even stainless steel. There a lot of design options too that can be chosen in respect to your personal preferences. With the growing fascination for designs of bands, customization has emerged out as a popular fad that gives people the liberty to create something that best suits their needs.

Charm of Customized Designs in Wedding Rings

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything”. When talking about customization, this beautiful quote certainly proves to be true. Every person and relationship is unique and customization is a brilliant way to show off your individuality. There is nothing better if you can work this magic on your wedding ring too and create one-of-a-kind creation that celebrates your love.

Amidst the numerous benefits of customization, the freedom to create something that exemplifies your sentimental and creative qualities within your budget is undoubtedly the most essential feature. Customized jewelry is mostly created by hand that grants it an element of exclusivity in addition to the innumerable emotional benefits and comforting feel. The results of customizations are always inspiring as this process gives life to your personal choices and emotions in form of the resultant product.

Customization – Are You Confused How to Go About It? Here Are Some Tips!

In today’s time, the numerous design options and the demand to optimize every tool in your arsenal to create the best for yourself is undoubtedly an asset. But, this diversity can also leave you puzzled. If you too are experiencing this feeling, don’t worry, its human! Here are some easy ways to bail you out of this dilemma:

Streamline Your Choices – The diversity in designs, base metals and similar attributes makes the market huge. But at the same time, this variety can contribute to your indecisiveness. Here, narrowing some preliminary choice factors becomes essential. These factors may include your preference for diamonds or gemstones in your wedding rings. If you wish to match the color of the band with your wristwatch or with your fiancé’s ring, it should be considered well in advance.

Start Searching Early – Time is crucial! The best thing about starting the search for your wedding band in time lies in the liberty it grants you to try out new things and explore an array of options. You also get to revisit rings that you may have liked during the initial period of your search. As we are talking about customization, it demands extra time and effort to create the perfect piece who had dreamt for yourself. Ideally two to three months is a decent time frame.

Ascertain Your Budget – Despite of the exclusivity you demand in your customized wedding band; budget is something that needs to be determined beforehand. This budget can be calculated in proportion to your total wedding budget. While customizing the wedding band, make sure you consider even the minutest details. Let’s say, you plan a platinum band with diamond embellishments. Here, other than the cost of the metal and diamonds you have to consider the finishing and polishing cost. If you are planning to personalize your ring with an engraved message, you cannot forget that every character engraved on the band will add to your total cost. And yes, if you choose hand engraving, your band will turn out to be even more pricier!

Have A Long-Term Perspective – This one’s really important! In the wake of the moment don’t buy something that you might regret later, as it is your band – it will stay with you for the entire lifetime. There is nothing wrong in being trendy, but picture yourself wearing it for years together. If you are restrained with finances, you can also choose a design that can be easily innovated with diamonds later on. The maintenance of the band is also important. As we know, maintenance is required in all aspects of life including business. An example would be a dentist, they need a good maintenance plan like a dental SEO service in order to keep business expanding. Remember, complicated designs demand more care. If you want a fuss-free piece for yourself, opt for a simple version.

Quality Check Is Essential – When talking about precious metals, quality check in the form of manufacturer's trademark and the quality mark in respect to the use of metal type is essential. Even if multiple metals are used in your ring, you should look for quality mark for every metal. Customized bands too demand this surety and it should clearly not be missed!

Choose in Accordance with Your Personality – Your band should find its place in your life as something that seamlessly blend with your personality and is in accordance with your lifestyle needs. Initially, men preferred simple gold and silver bands as a representation of their love. However, with passing time the choices have evolved drastically, especially in respect to personal choice. Broadly men have been categorized in four categories when talking about taste and lifestyle preferences.

Let’s talk about the ‘‘No Fuss’’ guy first; simple and sleek bands work best for you. Men falling under this category don’t like to experiment much with their fashion choices and try to play safe. In fact, they even admire accessories that are elegant and graceful, but simple at the same time. But, if you fall into the ‘‘Tough Cookie’’ type category, bands designed using heavy patterns and elaborate designs will earn your appreciation. In terms of metal choice, cobalt, stainless steel palladium, tungsten or even two-tone rings will work for you. There is also a category of ‘‘Metro’’ men who tend to have an inclination towards unconventional designs and metals, especially the ones that have been segregated on the basis of being gender specific. They might opt for diamond-studded wedding rings, rings with designer inlays and even bands designed in rose gold, titanium or platinum.

There is also a category that can be named as the ‘‘Gemstone’’ groom category. Though the use of gemstones in men’s wedding rings may sound unusual, but there are some men who will have a fascination for such creations. Gemstone settings are susceptible to damage and they are even at the risk of being lost if they get knocked off while performing a physical activity. The nature of job the person is undergoing should be evaluated before selecting this version. This holds true for all men, irrespective of the categorization we were talking about. This is one thing they share in common!

Cultural Influences – The beauty of the world can definitely be credited to the diversity of cultures and traditions prevailing from centuries. Even after talking about personal choices, we have to admit that cultural preferences too have a deep impact on our decisions – especially when talking about weddings! For instance, if we talk about Japanese weddings, the exchange of the Mokume Gane ring is the accepted norm. This ring exhibits a signature swirl design that is created by fusing different metals.

There are many other cultures that flaunt various cultural inclinations when talking about wedding rings. To name a few, Greek, Turkish, French and Russian cultures propagate the use of interlocking or interwoven rings to celebrate the union of two people. These rings can be innovated in different ways and this is where customization and your design preference can come into place. But the presence of the native cultural element is undoubtedly an important factor that should not be missed if you wish to honor your cultural sentiments.

Regardless of the growing popularity of customization, there are some reigning styles in men’s wedding rings that are in vogue these days.

5 Popular Design Trends to Look Out for When Choosing Wedding Bands for Men

There are some design inclinations that are shared by a majority these days, making them the current favorites as you can see them in wedding bands created by leading jewelry stores. There are mainly five design trends that are inviting the attention of men:

Engraving– This maybe the oldest, but continues to be the most popular design trend when talking about wedding rings and bands. Inscribing romantic poetry on bands began in medieval Europe and the practice later made its way to other parts of the world. Engraving is a great element incorporated in customized rings as the uniqueness of your message will make it a priceless possession for your partner. Nowadays, you have the option of laser engraving or hand engraving. They can be chosen according to your requirement and budget.

Innovative Use of Texture – Sporting a band with a distressed texture is considered as the latest fad by men as it complements their “rough and tough” persona. In addition, textured detailing on the surface can conceal scratches by working as the perfect façade. A number of design options are being created by exploring different textured finishes.

Metal Variation– Opting for unconventional metal choices, particularly rose gold is extremely popular among grooms. Two-tone metals are also in use, whereas the use of platinum has also seen an upsurge in the past few years. Men don’t even shy away from wearing diamonds and gemstone studded bands that add to the overall design diversity in bands.

Use of Edgy Materials – The tendency to experiment with offbeat designs has extended to bands too. The use of fossilized dinosaur bone, steel used to make Samurai swords and similar items is considered funky nowadays. This trend has lately garnered great appreciation from people. These materials can be used in combination with other metals and enriched with attractive textures to enhance their holistic charisma.

Fascination for Dark Colors – With the desire to move away from the conventional glitz and glamor associated with jewelry, the latest trend of dark colored rings has emerged as the current favorite for many. Many metals like Damascus steel, sterling and white gold have been oxidized to create such rings. However, black titanium and black zirconium are also used in their native form. For a better look, they are complemented with heavy textures to create stunning pieces.

You can easily choose a wedding band by considering the tips and trends mentioned above. They will turn out to be instrumental when you make the final decision of buying your wedding ring. You may also be encouraged to try out new designs or take fashion challenges that you have always been skeptical about.

We have talked about the evolution in design trends of bands, mainly men’s wedding bands where this circular shank exemplifying the gesture of love has been innovated to work as a priced possession that is no less than a dream accessory for grooms. The use of leather, ivory or bones in ancient times have been substituted by precious metals and intricate patterns. They have now been innovated with the use of gemstones, customized design options and other interesting elements to create the most valuable jewel in your collection. Go ahead, choose or create the most desirable wedding accessory for men – the wedding band!